Newcastle v Arsenal – Premier League match preview

Magpies v Gunners
Magpies v Gunners
Newcastle head into the final game of the season with little to play for other than pride having sorted out those lingering relegation issues last weekend.

The visitors on the other hand have some pressure on them and must win the match if they are to ensure that they pip their North London rivals to that final Champions League spot.

Going back to that opening paragraph, I say we only have pride to play for but that is a bit unfair. With final positions between 10th and 17th open for occupancy depending on results elsewhere there is a hefty amount of additional prize money left to play for. With each place worth an additional £750,000 the coffers of the club could be swelled by additional £4.5 million, so to say only pride is at stake is maybe a bit harsh.

Mind you the most important thing is being in the Premier League next season. That £4.5m will pale into insignificance when you consider how much the new Premier League TV deal will be worth to clubs next season. With the bottom club next season set to receive roughly the same as what the league winners have received this season it gives a rough impression of the kind of riches on offer. But that’s for next season, first let’s try and finish this one off in style.

Newcastle:

Tim Krul will be missing through injury whilst Rob Elliot misses out through suspension meaning that Steve Harper will get a chance to make a final appearance of his 20-year spell at United on home soil.

Sylvain Marveaux, Cheik Tiote and Steven Taylor are all available for selection although Moussa Sissoko, Massadio Haidara, Shola Ameobi and Davide Santon are unlikely to be involved. Ryan Taylor and Haris Vuckic remain on the long-term injury list although Sammy Ameobi and Shane Ferguson are available for selection after returning from loan spells at Middlesbrough and Birmingham respectively.

Arsenal:

Olivier Giroud is likely to return to the starting line up after serving his suspension although Mikel Arteta will miss the game after picking up a calf strain in the midweek win over Wigan.

Previously…

Earlier on in the season United saw themselves resoundingly beaten 7-3 at The Emirates so some amends needs to be made for that one.

However to do so United will have to overturn some dismal recent form against The Gunners. We haven’t beaten Arsenal at St James’ Park since 2005, even though the 4-4 draw a couple of seasons ago felt like a win!

There have been 80 games played between the two sides at St James’ Park. United have won 40, Arsenal 20 with the same amount as that ending up in a draw. Overall, in all competitions, home and away, there have been 164 meetings between the two teams with Arsenal just shading it by 65 wins to 62 for Newcastle with 37 draws making up the numbers.

Stats and facts:

Newcastle have won just one of the last 11 Premier League meetings between the two sides.

United have won only one game on the final day of a Premier League season in their previous 10 campaigns.

Alan Pardew’s side have won just three of the 19 games they have played against teams in the top half of the table.

Arsenal have the best away defensive record in the Premier League and have conceded just 14 league goals away from home this term.

The Gunners are looking for a fifth consecutive away league victory. The last time they managed such a feat was in 2004.

If only the second half of games counted, Arsene Wenger’s side would already have been crowned Premier League champions.

Final thought:

A lot has been made of Alan Pardew’s comments post-match last weekend where he said he wouldn’t care if we lost 4-0 tomorrow. Am I the only one who can see those comments as an expression of relief? Or has the tenure of the Silver one become so untenable that his comments are to be taken literally? Only when they can be used as a stick to beat him with seemingly as, if you recall, a lot of people say they can’t believe a word he says, so why treat this differently?

Newcastle must bow out with a good performance tomorrow even if a win could be beyond us. For the first time in weeks the pressure is off us and we can try and put on a show in front of our own fans and hopefully bury what has been a dismal season and put it behind us.

Another tepid performance though will just increase the pressure further and may tip the owner over the edge. Perhaps he might do something about Alan Pardew, although looking at pictures of him and Pardew at the training ground the other day it didn’t seem as though the manager had a ‘dead man walking’ look about him.

Bridges need to be built and whilst the manager is taking the bulk of the flak the players must also take some share of the blame and must respond accordingly. Collectively they got us over the line, just, and must show that things are going to change for the better.

Howay the lads!

Date: Sunday, 19th May, 2013

Time: 4pm – Live on Sky Sports 1

Venue: St James’ Park

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

271 thoughts on “Newcastle v Arsenal – Premier League match preview

  1. It would be nice to have the options available to switch to a formation where we could work both wings and get crosses into the box. I’m not saying it would work every time or that we should use that type of formation every game but I do think that in the prem these days the wings are under used now.

    Solano into Shearer…..worked canny back in the day 😆

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  2. Another excellent discussion today mates! Where are the lasses? I suppose it being Saturday night I can guess. 😆 Big Dave if you’re right about Carroll and Cisse being able to play as partners I would have to rethink my objections to bringing him back. But there is still the problem of the wage structure under Ashley. And who do we have to negotiate at the club? Llambias? How would we see that going with Llambias and Carroll? Still a long way to go with that one I think.

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  3. I wonder how much of a cut he would take ice? If he’s on 80K a week and would take 60K a week to play with us it might just work. Pardew seems to genuinely want him back. The owner is in the position of needing to do something important for striker options in the summer so perhaps it will happen after all.

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  4. I can’t see an issue with Cisse and Carroll being able to play together as they are totally different players. Carroll being a big powerful striker winning headers and bullying defenders and Cisse poaching and also feeding off the knock downs.

    I’m going to be very disappointed when this doesn’t happen 😥

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  5. G2

    I think your right. He would have to come down to at least 60k for us to take him.

    I’m getting carried away with my self and thinking we should bring in Matt Jarvis and Shane Long while we are at it 😆

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  6. Oblong – I’d take Sinclair and Ince providing service to Carroll. I’m really keen to see talented young English players at NUFC, and I think those 3 would be in our starting 11 and get into the England team nee bother. It would make the international break a bit more interesting as well.

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  7. Probably not going to happen but fun to dream Oblong. 😆 I do think we’ll be testing markets other than France this summer. Bringing Carroll back might help rebuild our attacking confidence and I would love a good German winger to supply the crosses mate. Do you know of any?

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  8. Very interesting Sharpy. I’ve been wondering about Sinclair myself. Ince could be very good for us but I have reservations about Sinclair for some reason mate.

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  9. i think there are better c/f even in france but for me your better off with someone with PL exp we cannot afford to wait for another full season hoping they can handle the PL some cannot

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  10. G2 his dad (ince) is saying they what 20mill for him on tv a couple of weeks ago,no way is he worth that sort of money so forget him,they might find some mug to pay 10 but still not worth that imo,ime not sure of sinclair he seemed patchy at his last club but city seemed to think he was worth a punt not for me like without seeing more of him

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  11. Geordie – my only reservation with Sinclair is that he could have big club syndrome – similar to Adam Johnson who hasn’t worked out quite as well at Sunderland as everyone thought.
    Sinclair could be different though as he’s only been at City for one season.
    I’ve said earlier though that I’m a big fan of Phillips and Nathan Redmond as well so any 2 from those 4 and I’d be happy.

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  12. G2

    Julian Draxler or Sidney Sam?? Of course we could try a sneaky bid for Tomas Muller 😆

    Big fan of Redmond and Phillips as well. Would be a lot cheaper than Ince.

    I can’t see you all clambering to agree with me on the Chung Young Lee idea though 😆

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  13. Batty do you think we’ll stay up 🙂

    Ice your right about Aussie but he like to think he’s my wingman but I don’t have the heart to let him down, as he’s just not up to scratch

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  14. FSOTC

    Vydra looks like a good player but I think Charlie Austin has found his level in the championship and would struggle with the step up to the prem.

    Could be wrong though….

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  15. I wouldn’t say no to Draxler Oblong. Very decent indeed but unlikely to come to us. Yes Ince would be out for at anything more than about 6M pounds ice. His dad has gone a bit funny in the head I think. 😆

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  16. Aye you could be right ice. So hard to put a fair value on English players now mate. Draxler would be much better but would cost much more I would think.

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  17. Ice – Paul Ince is fucking mental if he thinks Tom is worth £20m just now. I think £6-7m would be realistic at the moment – £10m would be too much.

    Oblong – I don’t really know much about CYL to be honest.

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  18. No, I wasn’t scouting wingers there, just that they’ve both scored a lot downstairs and they’re both young. Vydra seems to have a heap of assists too.

    I was thinking about Dries Mertens in Holland too. He’s got a batch of goals and assists there this season, but he’s a small guy. I know many think you need to be bigger to play in the prem, but Silva’s small and so was Modric and those boys did/do well.

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  19. G2 spot on mate they are asking silly money now,thats why a lot of clubs look abroad two or three for the price of one also they ask for big wages

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  20. Kim @ 169 join the club, I know a lot think he is the hoofball king but I believe he would offer us so much more and to top it off he is a big hard Geordie that would run through a brick wall for the cause

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  21. Do we want wingers to play in a 4-4-2, or forwards/playmakers playing wide in a 4-3-3? With Simpson leaving, our fullbacks can all put in good crosses.

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  22. Ice – the cheap ****** ran out of notes though. 5 notes to form the top part of his 3 with only 3 for the bottom. Then tenners and the mystic fiver to make up his zero – nice work. Never liked the ***** never will

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  23. I just want a bloody forward that can cross a ball Welly. We have been pathetic at it again all season. Hard low crosses into the box to turn the defenders. How many have we produced all season? A half dozen or less? Ridiculous. Of course we need more than just Cisse in the box to meet them. Is it all that complicated at the Prem level? Apparently for us it is right now.

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  24. I have just been thinking about the players I have mentioned that I would like us to sign this summer (among others) and there is enough to make a team:

    ———————-A McCarthy———————
    ———-K Zouma-C Kouyaté-J Okore———-
    C Y Lee-J McCarthy-J Barton-Julian Draxler
    ———–L Remy-A Carroll-S Sinclair———–

    I don’t want much do I? 😆 😳

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  25. Yeah, I wonder too, Oblong. With players like Holt and Lambert coming through the leagues and making a decent dent, I’d be curious to see more of the top strikers from lower leagues coming up and seeing how they do.

    Austin’s young and has 40 goals in 2 seasons in the Championship.

    Lambert had 27 last season down there, came up and has 14 this season in the top league–about half his ratio downstairs.

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  26. I see a J Barton in there Oblong mate? You wouldn’t be referring to a certain wor Joey would you?

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  27. I could be wrong with Austin but I just can’t see him making the step up…I don’t even know why I don’t think he would make it in the prem I just don’t. Vydra has a lot more to his game in my opinion and i think he would handle the step up better

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  28. Incidentally, Transfermarket has them both at under 3 million pounds. Their valuation is not always right though. Jozy Altidore is at 3m too. Dries Mertens is listed there at 10M.

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  29. G2

    I certainly am. He cropped up when we were talking about the need for leaders on the pitch. I’d take him back on his footballing ability along. Unfortunately he comes with “extra baggage” but I’d still have him back.

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  30. G2 – Pardew’s typically playing his wingers “inside-out”, with their strong foot on the inside of the field. I wouldn’t judge their ability to cross based on play under those instructions.

    Nor would I condemn those instructions out of hand. Ben Arfa is pretty effective cutting inside.

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  31. I kind of thought we could use Barton for his fighting spirit. I don’t mean off the field, mind you. Many of our games have been so lifeless. Maybe he could spark something for us. Of course, that comes with dangers and complications.

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  32. Oblong
    I would sign McCarthy (GK) then loan him back to Reading for experience, that is unless we sell Krul
    I don’t know who your defenders are 😕
    If your RW is the one from Bolton then no, he’s ****, Barton god no and there is no chance of Draxler he’ll cost 15-20m. Would like McCarthy (MF) though, would be a good addition to the squad and would add more creativity.
    Remy is a sleezebag even if proved not guilty, Carroll I’d like for a reasonable fee, same with Sinclair.
    That’s just my opinion though 😉

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  33. True for Ben Arfa Welly but I don’t think Obertan even has a strong foot so it wouldn’t matter which side he played. As for Jonas his legs and his winger days are gone apparently. And I would have to agree with others who say no thanks for Joey Barton Oblong. I know what you mean about lifeless games though FSOTC. We could use someone like Carroll to put some steel back in our attack.

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  34. @Andy

    We are all entitled to an opinion mate. It would be bloody boring if we all thought the same 😆

    Apart from us all loving the toon though….that’s more than alright and we can always agree on that!!

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  35. Yeah, Barton won’t be back, but we need a spark plug. I can’t understand the dead performances even with so much on the line. Is it our fitness training? I’ve suspected that we’re not up to snuff on that all season. Is there a way to compare that to other teams?

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  36. There is no way Barton I’d coming back. His “extra baggage” means although he is a talented footballer and a leader on the pitch bringing him back wouldn’t really work.

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  37. Julian Draxler and Thomas Müller. I assume you’s have been on the **** all weekend 😆 😆 😆

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  38. Next time Saylor gets injured, we should just fork out the six million dollars to rebuild him. Better than he was before. Better… stronger… faster. That’ll solve the captain problem!

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  39. Sometimes Steven Taylor is a hero because he does stupid things. That’s not the part of him that needs changing.

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  40. I like the guy and he plays with guts and spirit, but he is a little harebrained. Wildly entertaining, though. By the way, what is his latest problem? Was it injury or illness? Was he spewing chunks in the locker room?

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  41. Staylor is good for a careoke evening jumping round doing his YMCA dance in front of the DJ. I read somewhere that an ex toon player was asked who is the craziest toon player he ever knew and he said Steven Taylor, followed by Tino Asprilla. 😯
    Too unpredictable for me. A good squad player though for sure.

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  42. Are we flush with cash at NUFC? Ashley giving £1m to non playing staff if we beat Arsenal tomorrow.

    Fair bonus for the tea ladies I suppose.

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  43. I have a feeling that if Taylor played more games per season, his positional play and read of the game would improve. There have been plenty of goalkeepers who were completely insane but could still keep it together when it came to the functional parts of the game.

    And yeah, illness, but I don’t think it was all that dramatic. Just a virus or something.

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  44. Stu,
    Watch the team mess up, Ashley is a gambler………….his bet is safe.

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  45. Munich @ 212 – when it comes to putting his body on the line for the club…. mostly. 🙁 That’s why I would prefer for his body to be made out of metal, so he could get away with that style of play.

    (Still more realistic than Joey Barton coming back.)

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  46. 0 – 2 tomorrow, our season ends in a whimper, and the tea ladies have a major hump on ..

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  47. TGS – Well he is a gambler but if we win, the likelyhood is we’d get an extra £5m just in our league position so it won’t cost anything.

    Unfortunately I don’t think it will encourage the players anymore than playing a normal game though.

    It’s also a bit of a way Ashley can help his team THFC…

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  48. The incentive is to non footballing staff, why would that encourage the players to win the game? “If you do well in this game then other people get a bonus.” 😕

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  49. I see some comments about barton.

    If only he can fully keep his own opinion inside his heart and get his bad temper under control, he is a very good captain in my opinion. Strong fighting spirit. 😳

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  50. Well enjoy the game lads and lasses. I will be winging my way over Atlantic while it’s on but ready to watch on Sky planner when I’m back. Thank god nothing riding on this game or it would have been torture.
    I hope Harper, Collo, Simpson and Shola (if he’s going) all get a great send off. Gutted Colo will be off but hope there’s an outside chance something/someone changes his mind.
    Hope the weazel Pardew gets major flack and Ashley is in no doubt where the majority of fans stand on the possibility of him staying in a job.
    It’s been a horrendous season and one to get over and done with as soon as poss.
    Big thanks to Toonsy and others behind the scenes for keeping the blog going and giving us the opportunity to rage, moan, be ecstatic (sometimes) and general enjoy patter about our favourite topic NUFC. Great job guys! Fingers crossed for a win today and for it to be the end of the Pardew era, althoug sadly I don’t think thats the case.
    HWTL!

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  51. Andy @219 – do you think he should have offered the bonus to the players like?!. I suppose the bankers get bonuses for fucking things up so it’s not that daft.
    I personally think its a good gesture. Our players turn in a shoddy performance (win or loose) and they have to face these people every day, they’re probably friendly with most of them. I bet it would pay for a holiday for most of them.
    I’m not suggesting it will change the outcome of the game, but it’s a good touch, and explains the visit to the training ground this week.

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  52. Goals have been our biggest problem since Ba left and people here would like to see Carroll back.

    Sentiment over sense.

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  53. http://mobile.newsnow.co.uk/A/646354647?-11058

    I wonder if Pardew intends to work on his French over the summer as well, saying as he has chosen to fill his dressing room full of French players?!.

    It’s funny reading Debs post thanking Toonsy, and of course she’s right but it makes me realise that as horrible as this season has been, I’m going to miss match days :sad:. I hope were busy in the transfer window so there’s plenty to talk about.

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